US-China Summit: Biden will not hold back concerns Washington has with Beijing, says Psaki

The White House has confirmed that US President Joe Biden will meet virtually with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on November 15 and the two leaders will confront points of tensions. While speaking at the first press conference after testing negative for coronavirus, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki informed that Monday’s meeting between the two leaders will concern over the broader tensions bewteen China and India. Psaki added that Biden will make clear US intentions and priorities and be clear and candid about America’s concerns.

“Joe Biden will not hold back concerns the US has with China,” Psaki said on Friday, 12 November. 

Further, while addressing the press briefing, Psaki went on to say that one of the purposes of the upcoming engagement is to also discuss areas where there are strong concerns and disagreement. She said that Biden and Jinping would meet to discuss ways to “responsibly manage” the competition between the two nations as well as ways to work together where US’ interests align. However, there is likely to be no major resolutions as a result of the call, Psaki said, adding “I wouldn’t set the expectation … that this is intended to have major deliverables or outcomes.”

It is to mention that the virtual summit between the two leaders will be their third engagement since February. It comes after Washington and Beijing this week pledged at the COP26 to increase their cooperation and speed up action to rein in climate-damaging emissions. The deal calls for enhanced climate action in the 2020s using the 2015 Paris climate deal’s guidelines and concrete and pragmatic regulations in decarbonisation, reducing methane emissions and fighting deforestation. 

"We are engaged first of all with members of Congress and on technical advisory providing technical assistance on legislation that's currently working its way through Congress. But in addition to that, we have also taken measures on our own including visa restrictions, global Magnitsky and financial sanctions, export controls, import restrictions, the release of a business advisory and rallying the G7 to commit to take action to ensure all global supply chains are free from the use of forced labour," Psaki said.

Jinping expected to invite Biden to Beijing Winter Olympics 

Meanwhile, citing two people familiar with the matter, CNBC reported that Jinping is expected to use the discussion to extend a personal invitation to Biden to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics in February. For now, the White House and the National Security Council have declined to comment on how Biden would respond to such an invitation. However, it is to mention that if the US President declines the invitation, it might put the already tense Washington-Beijing relationship on ice. But if accepted, he may contradict his own administration’s messaging on democracy and human rights as there has been growing calls to boycott the Beijing Winter Games over China’s human rights violations, including against the Uyghur Muslims. 

(With inputs from ANI)